Iams vs Wellness:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Iams had more branded searches than Wellness among cat food brands in the United States. Iams had about 22,200 branded searches, while Wellness had 7,300. Iams made up 7.8% of all cat food brand searches we track, and Wellness accounted for 2.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cat food brands, Iams appeared in one of the five answers and Wellness in none.
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Top cat food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Iams was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Wellness did not appear in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Hill's1st
Purina Pro Plan2nd
Royal Canin3rd
Smalls4th- Fancy Feast4th
- Purina ONE6th
Weruva7th
Blue Buffalo8th
Iams9th- +4 more
Wellness–- +1 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Royal Canin4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Purina Pro Plan4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Hill's4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Purina ONE2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Smalls1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Fancy Feast1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Iams1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Meow Mix1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Blue Buffalo1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Wellness0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cat food brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cat food?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cat food do vets recommend?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Is fresh cat food better than kibble?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cat food”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cat food”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.
Is Iams or Wellness more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Iams and Wellness by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 cat food brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Iams, Wellness. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Smalls | Friskies | Fancy Feast | Iams | Meow Mix | Purina ONE | Royal Canin | Sheba | Blue Buffalo | Purina Pro Plan | Tiki Cat | Hill's | Wellness | Weruva | 9Lives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 21.4% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 11.7% | 5.2% | 6.4% | 11.7% | 3.5% | 0.84% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 0.84% |
| Nov 2025 | 18.3% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 12.2% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 15% | 3.7% | 0.88% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 0.73% |
| Dec 2025 | 19% | 7% | 5.7% | 7% | 5.7% | 7% | 12.7% | 5.7% | 7% | 12.7% | 3.8% | 0.91% | 2.8% | 2.5% | 0.75% |
| Jan 2026 | 19.7% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 10.8% | 5.9% | 5.9% | 16.1% | 3.9% | 0.96% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 0.77% |
| Feb 2026 | 19.9% | 7.3% | 6% | 7.3% | 6% | 6% | 10.9% | 6% | 7.3% | 13.3% | 3.3% | 1.2% | 2.4% | 2.2% | 0.96% |
| Mar 2026 | 21.8% | 8% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 8% | 5.3% | 6.6% | 14.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 3.1% | 1.9% | 0.86% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.1% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 6.9% | 5.7% | 5.7% | 15.5% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| May 2026 | 22.2% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 6.7% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 5.4% | 14.9% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 2% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 16.9% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 11.3% | 4.1% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 0.82% |
| Jul 2026 | 16.3% | 7.3% | 6% | 7.3% | 6% | 8.9% | 10.9% | 7.3% | 6% | 10.9% | 4% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 0.79% |
| Aug 2026 | 16.1% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 10.7% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 2.6% | 0.78% |
| Sep 2026 | 17.3% | 9.5% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 7.8% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1% |
How has the Iams and Wellness comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Iams was ahead of Wellness in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Iams’ share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 6.4% to 7.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 22.2K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wellness’ share of searches among cat food brands in the United States moved from 2.3% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 7.8K to 7.3K.
How did search popularity change for United States cat food brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Iams overtook Purina Pro Plan and Purina ONE to rank 4th among cat food brands in the United States, with 7.8% of the searches.
In September 2026, Wellness rose from 14th to 13th among cat food brands in the United States.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Iams’ and Wellness’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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